Pete Marczyk and Barbara Macfarlane do not leave their work behind when they leave Marczyk Fine Foods and head for their great old Denver house with the big, new kitchen. They often bring some of their market's choicest ingredients home with them, and cook up a feast.
Throughout the rest of the month, Marczyk's is promoting Spanish products in the market, including cheeses and piquillo peppers. "We'll have lots of things from Spain to taste throughout the store, and one of our favorite things from this part of the world are piquillo peppers, which have a rich, smoky flavor from being roasted in wood-burning ovens," explains Barb.
Piquillos -- they mean "little beak" in Spanish -- are named for their distinctive shape, which is ideal for stuffing -- in this case with tuna, pine nuts, capers and goat cheese. "It's a delicious recipe and beautiful on the plate," says Barb, who recommends pairing the peppers with a Spanish rosé. "I love the Y + B rosé. It's a lovely, coral-colored wine that comes in a long-lasting Tetra Pak."
Tuna and Goat Cheese-stuffed Piquillo Peppers
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil 5 tablespoons onion, peeled and minced 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 1 6-once can tuna, packed in olive oil 4 ounces goat cheese 5 tablespoons toasted pine nuts 5 tablespoons capers, chopped 1 teaspoon paprika Salt and pepper to taste. 1 7.6-ounce jar of Matiz Piquillo peppers
Preparation
1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat 2. Add onion and garlic to skillet and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until softened. Remove from the heat and set aside. 3. Mash the tuna with the onion, garlic, goat cheese, pine nuts, capers, paprika, salt, and pepper. Set aside. 4. Take the peppers out, and let them drain. Some will be stuff-able, some will need to be sewn back up with toothpicks. 5. Fill the peppers with the tuna mixture and refrigerate until ready to serve.
For more from Pete, Barbara and Marczyk Fine Foods, visit the market website. And be sure to check out Pete's blog.
